Eye of the Tiger

by Nicole Austin

  “What a beautiful night.” The peace and serenity made it hard to believe violence would be shattering the calm a few short miles away. “It’ll be safe to take a short walk.”

  Sometime later, God only knows how long she’d been tromping around in the woods, Jenny had to face facts. She was well and truly lost. “I’d give twenty bucks to have the damn GPS bitch talking to me in that unflappable monotone of hers right about now.”

  “Fuck!” A root hidden beneath some crumpled leaves caught the toe of her boot and she almost face-planted. “The things I do for that man. Ugh!”

  Perhaps a strenuous walk in the dark over rough terrain after having wild-monkey-sex with her shapeshifter husband had not been one of Jenny’s brightest ideas. Sore muscles protested the activity and the wound on her calf ached something fierce. The cold had long ago penetrated her warm clothing to settle deep in the marrow of her bones.

  “I could be sitting in front of a roaring fire, sipping hot chocolate laced with brandy, but nooooooo. What fun would there be in that? I’d much rather be lost, freezing my ass off in the middle of a scary forest on a pitch-black night.”

  Having arrived in a clearing, she plopped down on a fallen tree for a good pout. “All right, smartass. Find yourself a way out of this one.” With her elbows propped on her thighs, Jenny hid her face in her hands.

  Rustling sounds in nearby foliage ended her self-disparaging train of thought and she snapped to full attention. Tentative yet curious, a brown-and-white rabbit hopped out of the safety of its hiding place. They studied each other for several moments. The animal’s eyes appeared intelligent. She wondered if it might be a shifter like Nash and Micah.

  “Hey there, Thumper. I bet you know the way back to the cabin, don’t ya.”

  The rabbit cocked its head to the side as if considering what she said.

  “How about you do that presto-magico thing Nash does and turn into a human?”

  They continued to observe each other. “No? That’s okay. I don’t mind. How about if you hop on over to my cabin then and I’ll follow you?”

  The bunny merely twitched his whiskers at her in a rather suggestive manner. “Don’t be getting any frisky ideas there, Thumper. I’m married to a tiger, and to him, you’re nothing more than a light snack.”

  She looked around the quiet clearing. “No, huh? Well maybe there are some frogs around here somewhere. I wonder how many I’d have to kiss before finding a handsome prince who will take me to a land far, far way.”

  All of a sudden the rabbit went on high alert. Its tall ears twitched and moved this way and that, picking up the faintest sounds. If she wasn’t so frightened, Jenny would have laughed as the image of an old rabbit-ear T.V. antenna being moved around to find the best reception popped into her head. But this was no laughing matter. The small animal sensed danger nearby and without sparing her another glance, it darted off through the underbrush to safety.

  “Hey, wait. Where are you off to in such a hurry?” Jenny could remember no other time in her life when she had felt so alone and vulnerable as she did in that moment. “Thanks a lot, pal.”

  The night had become devoid of all sound and movement except for the gentle breeze flirting with tree branches high above. Nothing else moved as the entire forest held its breath along with her, waiting in keen anticipation.

  Something stirred off to her left, made no attempt to cover its passage. She considered attempting to hide, but her body froze to the spot and wouldn’t follow orders. “M-maybe it’s a hiker or a forest ranger?” Not that either would be wandering around in the dark. “Only deranged serial killers and horror movie starlets would be that stupid.” How had she managed to sink so low as to join such dismal ranks?

  The man who entered the clearing, definitely no hiker, wore a tailored business suit. If that had failed to clue her in to his importance, his posture, the very way he held himself, projected confidence and superiority. There were a few things out of place screwing up the image though. His gray hair was in a state of utter disarray, decreasing the impact of his expensive haircut. A dark red stain had been absorbed into the fibers of his otherwise impeccable clothing. And then there was the gun held in his right hand and pointed directly at Jenny. Not a chance in hell he hadn’t seen her either. The man’s angry gaze was locked in on her.

  “Well, I’m just fucked six ways to Sunday now, aren’t I,” she mumbled. The verbal banter usually had a way of easing her tension and drawing a secret smile from Nash. Too bad he wasn’t there to smile and ease her stress.

  Oh boy!

  When Nash found out she had not stayed in the cabin…shit. He was going to be one hell of a pissed off beast. She’d hate to be in this guy’s shoes when her husband caught up with him.

  He moved closer and she just couldn’t keep her mouth shut. “Didn’t your mother teach you it’s not polite to point?”

  Chapter Eleven

  Nash sighed in relief as the facility’s alarms were silenced. The harsh sound was hell on his sensitive hearing. And being back in the building made his skin feel too tight. He had to get out of there…soon.

  The team had made quick work of neutralizing the security force and clearing the building. While Kyle and Sam were checking another area, Nash and Micah came to the last exam room along the corridor. He shivered in revulsion. The whole place brought back memories he’d rather forget.

  A glance through an observation window stopped his heart. Weltman and two of his white-coat lab rats were busy hovering over a woman, who was restrained to an exam table.

  Micah swiped a card taken from one of the security agents through the access panel. The door opened with a soft whoosh into a scene straight out of his worst nightmares.

  The woman muttered incoherently and made sluggish attempts at breaking free of the restraints. Nash knew how strong the sedatives favored by the facility were and was shocked she wasn’t unconscious.

  Weltman turned to face them, blocking their view of what was being done to the woman. “Ah, if it isn’t my two wayward shifters. Welcome back, gentlemen. You’re just in time to meet our latest subject.”

  “Step away from her,” Micah ordered.

  They both held guns leveled on him but Weltman didn’t appear to be concerned in the least. In fact, he shrugged off the threat. “Wouldn’t be a smart move to harm me.” He tapped the side of his head. “I’m the only one with the details you need.”

  “Step back from the woman.” Nash growled, taking a step closer. “We already downloaded everything we need from the computers.”

  The lab techs turned, hands raised, and moved to the side.

  “You’re a little too late. I decided to take a different approach with Ms. Renard, since my feline expert turned out to be such a disappointment.” He glanced toward the doorway. “Will Dr. Southerby be joining us?”

  A loud growl rumbled from Micah’s throat. Nash glanced at the other man to see his eyes had changed. The lion was very close to the surface, barely restrained. Nash wondered what exactly the zoologist was to his friend.

  Ignoring the question, his attention moved to the techs. “Has she been injected?”

  The man simply held up an empty syringe in answer to the question.

  “With what?”

  “She’s a hybrid.” Weltman puffed up his chest with pride. “A combination of red fox and wolf.”

  “Damn it! Get her untied. She’s coming with us.”

  He glanced at Micah, concerned over the way the other man remained silent, except for the occasional growl, while staring at Weltman. Something must have happened between the two men that Micah hadn’t felt the need to share.

  “None of you are leaving.” Weltman’s calm statement should have given him pause, but the man had obviously lost his marbles. Nash stayed focused on his mission objective—getting out alive.

  The techs helped the woman to stand. He admired her strength as she pushed them away, standing on her own two feet, even if she was rather wobbly. “A
re you okay? Can you walk?”

  Her head whipped in his direction, a curtain of thick black hair with crimson highlights flaring out over her shoulder. Her ice blue gaze locked onto him with piercing intensity as she took his measure. Clear eyes, unaffected by the drugs they’d pumped into her system. “I’ll walk out of this loony bin on my own two feet, thanks.”

  A shot rang out, the sound almost deafening in the small space. Weltman cried out in pain and grabbed his side where blood darkened the fine material of his suit.

  “Jesus, Micah. What the fuck are you doing?”

  “He was reaching into his pocket.”

  “Whether I use the device to summon security or not, my team is going to take you two down. You’ll never step foot outside the facility.”

  Micah tossed back his head and laughed. “It’s over, old man. Your team has been taken out. No one will be coming to save you from paying for what you’ve done.”

  The woman took a lurching step forward, steadied herself, and moved closer to Nash. “Mind telling me who the hell you are?”

  Nash gave her a quick rundown of both his and Micah’s involvement with the lab and their plans. When he finished speaking, she nodded. “Lance Corporal Shira Renard. Second Division out of Camp LeJeune.”

  A Marine. Good. It explained her fortitude and unwillingness to take assistance.

  “I was selected for this special detail. The first of several dozen scheduled to arrive here over the next few months. We were told this would involve specialized fitness testing and training for battle.”

  A side door they hadn’t noticed opened and Kyle Slater stuck his head into the room. “Locked down and secured. Charges are set.” He nodded toward Shira. “She a subject?”

  The door behind them swished. Nash and Micah turned in time to see Weltman slip out of the room while they’d been distracted.

  “Son of a bitch!” Nash moved to follow, but Micah held him back.

  “Stick to our objectives.” He pointed to a blood trail on the white tile floor. “Weltman won’t be hard to find. We have to get everyone out and blow this place. Then we can worry about tracking him down.”

  Against his better judgment, Nash relented. “Fine, let’s move.”

  The rest of the mission went smooth as silk. Itchy to get back to Jenny, he glanced at the assembled group. Slater was the explosives expert and because of his previous job working security for the facility, he knew the place inside and out. Micah was on a call with the General making arrangements for a meeting with the woman. There was nothing left for Nash to do and his instincts were screaming that he needed to get back to Jenny. And he had to go after Weltman. He wasn’t letting that bastard get away.

  Perceptive as ever, Micah seemed to read his mind. “Are you headed back to Florida after this?”

  Nash shrugged. “Briefly.” He and Jenny would have to relocate. Make a start somewhere no one knew their names.

  “If you need anything…”

  Micah didn’t need to finish. Nash knew what he was saying. The sentiment went both ways. “Same here.”

  “Get out of here then. Go take care of your wife. We’ll wrap this up and be on our way soon.”

  Nash said his goodbyes and left the conventional weapons behind. Everything he needed lie inside him. Rather ironic that the weapon Weltman had created would be the means to his own destruction.

  Once he moved out of the open and into the shelter of the dense woods, he shifted. The tiger had no problem sniffing out the blood trail. Silent and deadly, he stalked through the forest. In no time at all, he’d caught up with his prey.

  Each minute away from Jenny was like a thorn in his side. Soon he realized that she had left the safety of the cabin. He could smell her scent lingering in the air. His hackles rose.

  In a hurry, Nash didn’t waste time circling Weltman or surveying the area. Never slowing in his rapid stride, he crouched low and sprung forward in a powerful leap, landing a short distance from his target. He would have pounced, attacked Weltman from behind, but not with Jenny in danger. He roared a warning to the other man. If he hurt Jenny—

  Nash’s heart froze when Weltman spun around, holding a gun to his wife’s temple. Tucked tight against his side, she was undeterred by the weapon. The spitfire fought his hold—kicking, biting and cussing. From the smug expression on Weltman’s face, the bastard knew exactly who he’d captured. Hell, Nash himself had placed her picture in his personnel profile while instructing subordinates on Nanotech’s stringent requirements for background checks.

  “Ah, there you are, Crosby. I figured you’d be along eventually. Imagine my surprise at finding this hellcat out here alone.” Weltman flashed a truly evil smile. “You really are slipping. Don’t you know better than to leave a woman wandering about unprotected? She is a rather pretty liability though. And feisty. I like them feisty!”

  “Let me go and I’ll show you feisty, you warped motherfucker.”

  “Your woman has a rather foul mouth, Crosby, but that’s okay. I’ll teach her discipline and respect before I’m finished with her.” The sick bastard suggestively rubbed his crotch against her ass. “After we have some fun first, of course.”

  Weltman stroked her temple with the gun. “Not quite adequate compensation for all the grief you’ve caused me, but I’ll make do.”

  “Aww, do you expect us to feel bad for you? If you’re looking for sympathy, it’s in the dictionary between shit and syphilis.”

  The bastard pulled back his arm and hit her with the gun. It didn’t knock her out, but Jenny sagged against him, forcing Weltman to support her weight. She almost succeeded in pulling him off balance.

  Nash didn’t blink as he watched, waiting for the perfect opening. The slightest slip from Weltman was all he’d need to make his move. No matter what else happened in the small clearing, he would not allow Weltman to leave with Jenny.

  Her physical assault got nowhere, and Weltman simply ignored her verbal attack. He spoke of his big plans in an almost wistful tone that raked on Nash’s nerves worse than fingernails scratching on a chalkboard.

  “You and your friends have only succeeded in delaying the inevitable. Do you really think I’d be so stupid as to keep everything in one place? Thanks to you, I know better than that. All you’ve managed to do is slow my plans marginally. Before winter’s end, the Marine Corps will have an elite unit of powerful shape-shifting soldiers. But that won’t be the end.”

  Nash didn’t blink and his attention didn’t waver. He remained crouched low to the ground, ready to spring into action at the opportune moment. Hearing Weltman’s plans made him sick and sealed the man’s fate. When he struck, it would be a fatal blow.

  “Once word gets around, as it always does, the technology of the Predator Project will be in great demand. Can you imagine the bidding wars between foreign nations, each desperate for what only I can provide.”

  Between the blow and listening to his diabolical plot, Jenny appeared stunned. She hung limp over Weltman’s arm as he continued. He spoke loud and sure as if lecturing before a captivated audience.

  “I will have all the power. I will control nations, decide who will be the strongest, who will survive. I alone will rule the world and have control over its armies.”

  Weltman shifted his weight and Jenny dropped to the ground as he made a sweeping gesture with his right hand. She rolled, pulling a pistol from her boot, but before his arm completed the movement or she took aim, Nash sprung.

  Weltman landed on his back with more than four hundred pounds of enraged tiger coming down on his chest, knocking the breath from his lungs.

  Nash didn’t hesitate. He followed the beast’s instincts, went right for the man’s throat, sharp teeth tearing at vulnerable flesh and bone. He bit, clawed and growled, blinded by the bloodthirsty predator’s anger over the threat to its mate. Only Jenny’s soft voice brought him back from the edge.

  “Stop, Nash! Come on, honey. I doubt he tastes very good. Too much piss and
vinegar.” She moved to his side, placed her hand on his head and stroked behind his ears. She showed no fear, secure in the knowledge that he would never hurt her.

  “Come on, hot stuff. Take me home and I’ll let you eat me instead.”

  She took a firm hold of the scruff of his neck and he immediately became passive. He stared down at Weltman, morbidly fascinated by the blood gurgling from the open wound and soaking into the ground.

  Jenny dropped to her knees beside him. Grabbing his fleshy jowls, careful to avoid the blood on his fur, she turned his face toward her and away from the grizzly remains of his former employer.

  “It’s over, Nash. Let’s go home. I need you!”

  Jenny expected him to shift, but Nash remained in tiger form. At least he’d stay warm with all that fur covering him, even after taking a dunk in the stream to wash away the blood. If he shifted back and walked the distance naked, he’d probably freeze to death. The temperature had dropped drastically since she’d left the cabin.

  She laughed aloud over the idea of Nash walking through the woods, bare-assed and shivering, his limp dick slapping against his thigh with each step.

  The tiger’s big head swung in her direction and he glared at her. That only got her laughing harder. “That new fur coat of your comes in pretty handy.”

  He continued to walk at her side and she began to wonder if he’d be able to shift back again. She sure hoped so. Shifting into a tiger was a handy trick, but she wanted a man sleeping next to her in bed at night.

  “You can change back, right?” She eyed the big beast warily. “You’re now unemployed and I’m only working part-time. I sure as hell can’t afford to keep your big butt supplied with raw meat.”

  She got the distinct impression he was doing his best to ignore her. “Cat got your tongue?” That one got her laughing so hard she had to stop walking and catch her breath.

  By the time they reached the cabin her fingers were numb and her entire body ached. She looked forward to a long soak in the hot tub. Still a tiger, Nash walked the perimeter before letting her unlock the door. “Just ’cause you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you, right?”